Starting a Business?

Starting any business can be difficult, but starting your
business from home can be seriously overwhelming. From establishing
your business to setting work/life parameters, there's a lot to
do and very little time to relax. Carol Anne Carroll, author of
Start Your Own Home Business . . . In No
Time, provides tips on how to stay sane-and profit,
too.

Make a plan. "If you have a road map in front of
you saying, 'Here's what I want to do in my first
year,' that really relieves a lot of the [feeling of being]
overwhelmed," says Carroll.

Prioritize your tasks. For example, notes Carroll,
"You always have things in your house you could work on, but
you can't do it all at once. [Likewise,] in business, you have
to understand there are a lot of things you want to do, but you
don't have to do them all at once." You can't, for
instance, go to 20 networking events in one week--you need to
narrow it down to the top four or five where you're likely to
make the biggest impact.

Get an outside perspective. If you're not sure how
to prioritize what's most important in your particular
business, talk to a few trusted advisors, and find out what others
in your industry have done.

Don't commit quickly. Before setting appointments
and projects, review your current list. Will you have enough time
for that event, including the preparation as well as the event
itself? Carroll says, "It's a matter of being very aware
of what you've already committed to and making sure you meet
those commitments, and not adding anything until you've looked
at your to-do list."

Take it step by step. It may seem like simple advice,
but entrepreneurs are often overflowing with ideas on how to grow,
move forward, change, etc. Keep your ideas organized, and don't
try to do everything at once.